Jardín de Cactus: visiting the garden that used to be a quarry
Updated October 1, 2026 · 7 min read
Admission costs €9, the visit takes about an hour, and anyone with a car simply drives there — for most people that’s the whole answer. The question gets interesting without a hire car: then the cactus garden becomes one stop on a Manrique circuit, and a well-tried option is the César Manrique Full-Day Tour for €85 per person, 8 hours, 4.6 out of 5 from 445 reviews — combining the Foundation, Jameos del Agua, the Monument to the Farmer and the cactus garden in one day. Anyone who only wants the garden pays €9 and saves eight hours.
See availability and prices for the César Manrique Full-Day Tour
Jardín de Cactus is a compact stop with a stronger idea behind it than simply gathering unusual plants. At Guatiza, a former excavation has become a garden whose shape still makes the old use visible. It suits a slower hour between larger visits, especially if you enjoy design or plants. It is a poor purchase if you only want a shaded park where children can run freely.
The official visitor page lists general entry at €9 and about 60 minutes for the visit. The stated opening hours there are 10:00 AM–5:00 PM, with final admission at 4:30 PM. Check your date before travelling, and distinguish last admission from the amount of time you would like inside.
Why the quarry matters
Spain’s official tourism portal describes an old quarry where volcanic material was extracted for agricultural use. That history explains the hollow. The garden did not begin with a blank, level plot on which someone arranged beds; its surrounding form was already there.
The practical way to see it is to look across the whole space before concentrating on individual plants. Notice how the terraces follow the excavation and how stone structures hold the composition together. You do not need botanical knowledge to follow that idea. It is the difference between seeing a collection and understanding why the collection belongs here.
The local agricultural connection continues outside the garden through the prickly pear landscape associated with cochineal production. Avoid imagining every cactus inside as native to Lanzarote. This is a collection from different parts of the world, set within a specifically Lanzarote setting.
A route that leaves time to notice things
Start with the overall view, then choose a few plants that contrast in shape. Move between tall columns and round forms rather than trying to read every label. If travelling with someone interested in botany, agree that they can linger without making everybody else inspect the same specimen.
The windmill above the garden changes the perspective again. CACT describes its connection with milling grain for gofio. That adds a second working-landscape story to the former quarry. Whether you go up or stay on the lower paths should depend on the terrain you can comfortably manage, not a sense that every part must be ticked off.
Leave the café until you know how much visiting time remains. A leisurely break can be enjoyable, but it is separate from examining the garden. If a coach departure is fixed, find out that time before sitting down, rather than discovering that the meal has swallowed the stop.
Entry and brunch are separate bookings
The official page advertises brunch at €22 and explicitly requires an additional garden ticket. At the ordinary adult entry price, that is €31 per adult for entry plus brunch, or €62 for two. Those totals do not include transport or any spending outside the booked menu.
This is a useful comparison with an ordinary garden visit. Two adult entries alone total €18. The extra €44 buys the brunch for two; it does not buy more access to the garden. Choose it because you want that meal and can fit its reservation into your day, not because you assume food must be included in a premium-sounding ticket.
Check the menu and dietary requirements before reserving. A vegetarian option does not answer every allergy question. If you prefer an unplanned lunch elsewhere, keep the visit simple. CACT says outside food and drink are not permitted inside, so do not build your plan around bringing a picnic into the garden.
Is an excursion worth more than a €9 admission?
An excursion is not an expensive version of the garden’s entry ticket. It pays for transport and for linking several Manrique sites in one day — the cactus garden is one stop among several within it. Four excursions that include the cactus garden:
| Excursion | Duration | from | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manrique tour with Cactus Garden and LagOmar | 4 hours | €67 | 4.3 (16) | Anyone with only half a day free who wants to see LagOmar too |
| César Manrique Full-Day Tour | 8 hours | €85 | 4.6 (445) | First-time visitors without a car who want the well-known Manrique sites in one go |
| Legacy of César Manrique tour | 8 hours | €83 | 4.7 (220) | Anyone who wants to add Mirador del Río |
| Coast to Coast Tour | 7 hours | €82 | 4.6 (450) | Anyone looking for the lesser-known sites who hasn’t seen La Graciosa yet |
All four prices are per person. The short descriptions do not establish every admission, transfer or meal; verify the option you have selected. Our Manrique day-trip guide explains how those stops fit together. Compare the Manrique excursions by their actual itinerary rather than dividing the price by the number of places named.
See availability and prices for the Manrique tour with Cactus Garden and LagOmar
Independent admission makes particular sense if you already have a car and want time with the plants. An excursion makes more sense when transport and combining sites are the difficult parts. Neither price is a fair substitute for the other without those differences.
Families and access: the limits of a compact site
CACT lists high chairs in the café and changing facilities in the toilets. Those are useful facilities, but they do not turn the planted terraces into a playground. Keep children close around the plants and agree on a short observation game if they enjoy searching for shapes. Discuss questions about children’s sun protection with a pharmacist or paediatrician beforehand.
The operator says part of the site is adapted for reduced mobility, while paths can be uneven and the windmill and shop lack ramp access. Confirm the areas you want to reach directly before booking. A photograph of a broad terrace does not describe every connection between levels.
If the group wants a longer indoor experience afterwards, compare Jameos del Agua. If it wants a view across the sea, consider Mirador del Río subject to visibility. Leave the garden having noticed how the old excavation works, rather than feeling obliged to photograph every plant.
Our recommendation
For most people without a hire car, the César Manrique Full-Day Tour for €85 is the sensible choice: with 445 reviews it rests on a broad base of experience, and it takes in the cactus garden together with the Foundation, Jameos del Agua and the Monument to the Farmer. It is no good for anyone who wants to look around the garden at leisure — a day with four stops leaves no hour spare for that.
With a hire car, you pay €9 at the ticket office and stay as long as you like. That is the cheapest and the calmest version of this visit. Anyone adding the €22 brunch ticket should know it does not replace garden admission.
For half a day, the Manrique tour with Cactus Garden and LagOmar for €67 in four hours is enough. Said plainly: with 16 reviews it stands on thinner ground than the full-day tours, and LagOmar is its own house with its own character — anyone expecting the well-known Manrique buildings is in the wrong place there.
